Evaluation of the stochastic drift of rate-integrating gyros as preparation for the analysis of laser gyro drift measurements

A method for evaluating long term drift measurements with inertial sensors was developed for stability tests of laser gyros. Data acquisition, and mathematical techniques for analyzing stochastic drifts are described. The interrelation of autocorrelation functions with mean squared fluctuations and physically explainable dissipative constants is emphasized. The method was assessed in stability tests of the rate-integrating gyros of a strapdown system. The limits of the method are discussed.